Journal box for railway cars



'.J. Vy. GALLAGHER JOURNAL BOX FOR RAILWAYv CARS Nov. 18, 1947.

Filed Oct. 2, 1943 F/GJ.

A n WVM/ra@ jadmes @a Patented Nov. 18, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEJOURNAL BOX FOR RAILWAY CARS James W. Gallagher, Prospect Park, Pa.

Application October 2, 1943, SerialNo. 504,699

6 Claims'.

The object of the invention is `to provide means for the ready detectionof so-called hot boxes in journal bearings for axles of freight andpassenger railway cars. Journal boxes applied to freight cars areusually lubricated by means of oiled waste. Journal boxes of passengercars usually comprise roller bearings and are lubricated from `an oilreservoir in which the axle revolves. When, owing to the development ofcertain abnormal conditions, these journal boxes become so highlyoverheated as to develop a hot box, continued rise in temperature causesthe ignition of the oil or oil Waste, thereby, by destroying thelubrication, creating a serious and dangerous condition.

It has been proposed to ventilate not boxes by providing in the Coveropenings for admission and release of atmospheric air. While suchopenings have the advantage of enabling, at a train stop, the readydetection of a hot box by visual inspection through such openings, theobjections thereto overbalance their advantages. Any air inlet openingsin the journal box not only admit dust and dirt, but induction of air isattended with a supply of oxygen that promotes combustion and intensies,or even creates, the hot box condition. Experience has shown theadvisability of as far as possible sealing the journal box againstadmission Vof air and therefore of sealing the inside of the journal boxfrom visual inspection, so that timely discovery Vof a hot boxfrequently is not made.

The object of my invention is to retain, as far as possible, the normalsealing of a journal box while at the same time allowing the detection lof a hot box as speedily as possible` and before it reaches a dangerousor destructive stage.

Two of different possible developments are shown in the drawings, inwhich- Fig. 1 is a front View, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal sectional view,of a journal box embodying my invention. n

Fig. 3 is a section View, and Fig. 4 an outside face View, of a journalbox lid or closure ernbodying my invention in another specic form.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, a is the axle, b the bearingtherefor, c the enclosing Vibox body and d the lid therefor, the latterhaving end hooks e, e which engage a rod f carried by a lug g, securedto the box body. By means of a heavy leaf spring i, the lower end ofwhich is secured to the outer face of the lid d and the upper free endof which engages the lug g, the lid is held tightly in place, while itsready open,- ing is permitted. A journal box of this vtype is usuallystuffed with oiled waste to afford adequate lubrication for the axle.The specific construction of journal box shown is only one of severaltypes in actual use and is commonly applied to freight cars. In somecases, particularly on passenger cars, the axle turns in roller-bearingsand the lid is bolted to the box body. Such alternative constructions ofjournal boxes need not be shown or in detail described, since thespecific construction of the journal box forms no part of my invention.

In Fig. 1, the lid d is shown as provided with two openings h in thesame horizontal plane near opposite side ends of the lid. The edge ofthe lid surrounding and forming each opening is upset or flanged outwardat lc to overlie the edges of a plate m, which extends in the same planeas the lid and completely closes the opening. Between the plate m andthe marginal portion of the lid d is a gasket o. To hold the plate m inposition against the ange lc a fusible netal strip p overlies, orspaced-apart fusible metal pieces overlie, and solder the joint betweenthe edge of the plate and the edge of the lid d surrounding and formingthe opening therein.

There may be applied to the outer face of the lid, adjacent the openingstherein, wings These may be so applied by providing them with flangesand securing these anges to the face of the lid by spot welding.

Under normal conditions, the temperature within the journal box issubstantially below that required to fuse the strip p. When, however,there is an abnormal rise in temperature Within the journal box due toany cause, but long before the temperature rises to the extent necessaryto burn out the lubricant, and therefore while the temperature isstillbelow that required to produce a dangerous hot box condition, thefusible strip melts and the closure plate m is released and drops downinto the bottom of the box. The immediate effect is to allow atmosphericair to enter the journal box. Before any initial burning reaches adangerous stage, smoke forms in the interior of the journal. The airadmitted to the journal box enters in the form of a strong current anddrives the smoke out oi the opening or openings formed by prompt releaseof the closure plate m. It is of pronounced advantage to provide the twoopenings shown in Figs. 1 and 4, so that the air enters one opening andis expelled, with the smoke, through the other, as indicated by thearrows in Fig. l.

It is customary, in the operation of trains, for the train crew to makevisual inspections of the entire train while in transit, particularlywhile it is proceedingalong a curve, at which time all the cars on theinside of the curve are in line of vision, and any hot box conditionwill be observable. Unfortunately, however, in journal boxes now in use,such condition is not revealed until the re has reached an actuallydangerous stage, due to the fact that the journal box is sealed againstadmission of air. In my invention, as above stated, the hot boxcondition is observable at an early stage, before an actually dangerousor destructive condition has developed; and, moreover, it is observablewhile the train is traveling on a straight track.

The opening for the admission of air and the discharge of air and smokemust be of a size that should not be substantially smaller than is shownin the drawings. An opening comparable to a pin hole and sealed by afusible plug would be inoperative. On the other hand, it is of noimportance to provide openings large enough to enable necessary repairsto be made. Such repairs, obviously, will -be made after swinging up thelid, in order to allow free and unobstructed access to the interior ofthe journal box.

After the discovery of the hot box condition the train will, of course,be brought to an immediate stop and the necessary repairs made beforestarting the train.'

It is of distinct advantage to provide two openings, as shown in Figs. 1and 4, so as to provide for a continuous and unobstructed current ofair, thereby insuring the quickest, most free, and most complete,discharge of the smoke.

The wings n: are also of pronounced advantage, since they function todirect the smoke for a considerable distance in a stream at nearly rightangles to the direction of extension of the car, thus .more nearlyinsuring early observation. Such a warning signal will not be confusedwith any slight smoke arising from a hot wheel caused by stuck brakes.If no observation of the train in transit should be made, the mostcasual examination of the journal box by the inspector at the next stopdiscloses the openingor openings in the lid. Usually the ,hot box willeven then be detected before it develops to a dangerous or destructivestage. But there is no insurance, especially on a long run betweenstops, that the hot box may not reach this stage before the trainarrives at a scheduled stop. No means for guarding against the burningout and destruction of axle bearings can be considered acceptable thataffords only relative protection. The protection, to be acceptable, mustprovide against all foreseeable conditions.

It is true that, once the closure or closures for the opening oropenings are removed, the journal box will be no longer sealed againstthe temporary admission of dust, dirt, water and other foreign material.This sealing is, of course, desirable, and even necessary, in normaloperation and is provided for in my improved journal box. However, theexclusion of such foreign material becomes of no importance whatever incomparison with the importance of a prompt and accurate detection of anincipient hot box.

In the modification shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the same reference lettersare applied to the same parts. Instead of securing the plate m in placeby fusible metal overlapping the joint between the plate m and the lidd, vthe plate is held in place against the gasket o by means of a springs :surrounding a bolt r secured to the plat m and extending through ayoke t, thelower end of which is loosely pivoted on a bolt u secured tothe lid below the opening therein and the upper end of which is sleevedon 4a stud o secured to the lid above the opening therein. The upper endof the yoke t is held on the stud o by means of a fusible pin w. Thespring s, confined between the yoke t and plate m, holds the latter,under normal conditions, in position to securely close the opening inthe lid; but when the temperature within the journal box rises above themelting point of the fusible pin w,. the spring s swings the yoke tinward on its loose pivotal connection on bolt u until the upper end ofthe yoke rides olf the end of the stud o, whereupon the yoke by gravityswings down on its pivoted lower end into the position shown in dottedlines in Fig. 3, carrying with it the spring s, the bolt r and the platem.

It is preferred to apply the detector shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to the typeof journal boxes commonly used on freight cars and to apply the detectorshown in Figs. 3 and 4 to the type of journal box commonly used onpassenger cars, although either type of detector is operative whenapplied to any type of journal box.

YWhat I claim and desired to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. AY railway journal box including the axle, the bearing, the box bodyand its lid, the lid containing an opening of substantial area, a plateapplied to said opening, means including fusible material adapted tohold the plate in position to close the opening while the temperaturewithin the box is below that required to fuse said material but which,upon fusion due to rise in temperature, releases such plate from closingposition, and a wing extending outward and contiguous to said openingand extending therefrom at a substantial angle to the plane of theopening and adapted to assist entrancek of atmospheric air to thejournal box through said opening and adapted also to direct theexpulsion of smoke largely through said opening in a direction outwardfrom the journal box to facilitate its ready detection.

2. A railway journal box including the axle, its bearing and the kboxbody, two openings of substantial area in the lid, plates, one appliedto each opening, means including fusible material adapted to hold eachplate in position to close the corresponding opening While thetemperature within the box is below that required to fuse said materialbut which, upon fusion due to rise in temperature, releases such platefrom closing position, said openings being located on opposite sides ofthe center of the lid and in substantial horizontal alignment with eachother, two wings extending outward adjacent the respective openings,each wing extending along that side of the corresponding opening whichis nearest the center of the lid, one of said wings functioning toassist entry of atmospheric air to the journal box largely through oneofsaid openings and the other functioning to direct the expulsion of smokelargely through the other opening in a direction outward from thejournal box to facilitate its ready detection.

3. A railway car journal box as defined in claim 1, in which said plateis located inside said lid and overlaps said opening and in which saidfusible material is applied to the inside of the lid and closure plateand overlaps the joint between them.

4. A railway car journal box as defined in claim 1 in which the' marginof the lid surrounding said opening is provided with an outwardlyextending ilange against which the closing plate is confined, theclosing plate thereby extending in the same plane as the lid, and inwhich said fusible material is applied to the inside of the lid andclosing plate and overlaps the joint between them.

5. A railway car journal box as defined in claim 1 in which the meansfor holding the plate in closing position comprises a bar within thebox, a spring confined between said bar and plate and holding the plateagainst the lid in position to close the opening and means to hold thebar in position to maintain the spring in tension, said means includingmaterial adapted to be fused at a predetermined temperature to therebyTrelease the bar from its holding position.

6. A railway oar journal box as defined in claim 1 in which the meansfor holding the plate in closing position comprises a bar looselypivoted at one end to the inside of the lid and at the other end sleevedon a stud, a spring coniined REFERENCES CITED The following referencesare of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Ross Oct. 7, 1919 Leonard -1 Apr. 10,1923 Meyer Sept. 13, 1932 Faus 1 Nov. 6, 1934 Number

